How Packaging Reuse Helps Make Clothing Donations Easy

Packaging reuse is a key piece of the puzzle as Levi Strauss & Co. works with Goodwill to provide consumers with an effortless and enjoyable way to donate, while promoting reuse and recycling.

In this space we usually focus on durable reusable packaging. An emphasis on reuse more generally speaking, however, is a crucial component of the conversation as businesses and policymakers increasingly aspire towards a circular economy. In this case, the reuse of a corrugated box, which helps simplify the reuse of clothing and shoes, plays an important role.

One of the key challenges for the garment industry as it looks to become more sustainable is to divert clothing from the waste stream towards reuse and recycling opportunities. Did you know that 85 percent of end-of-life clothing ends up in the garbage? Another challenge is in making consumer behavior in support of such outcomes effortless and even enjoyable. The new program offered by Levi Strauss & Co. in cooperation with Goodwill looks to tick both boxes.

The program offers LS&Co. customers an easy means to donate unwanted shoes and clothes by providing a free shipping label, available at U.S. ecommerce sites for the Levi’s® and Dockers® brands. This holiday season, for every box of donated clothing shipped, LS&Co. will contribute $5 to Goodwill. The amount is capped at $50,000, with a guaranteed minimum of $25,000. That donation amount will double to $10 per box for every free shipping label printed and shipped on Giving Tuesday (December 1, 2015). The program is supported by an initiative called Give Back Box.

In order to donate, people can simply fill a box with clean, dry clothing and shoes, such as one they might receive in conjunction with a purchase from Levi.com or Dockers.com, and then print a free shipping label, accessible at Levi.com/Goodwill and Dockers.com/Goodwill. Donations are forwarded to the nearest Goodwill location.

“LS&Co. is a company guided by a strong tradition of giving back, and this holiday season we want to give our fans an opportunity to support their local community when they shop on Levi.com and Dockers.com,” said Marc Rosen, head of global ecommerce at Levi Strauss & Co. “Our partnership with Goodwill gives consumers a chance to reuse the boxes they receive from us, fill them with clothing they no longer need and support the important work of Goodwill in the process — it’s a win for online shoppers, the community and the planet.”

In 2014, Goodwill helped to divert 3 billion pounds of goods from landfills. Emphasis on clothing and shoe recycling is part of LS&Co.’s overall effort to establish an infrastructure that supports a circular economy by 2020.